Missing You
by Marril96
Summary: He sent her away, telling her that it would make him happy. But that's not what makes her happy. Set post 04x09 - Delena.


**I'm in love with Delena (now more than ever) so I decided to write this little thing. I was so shaken when Damon set Elena free and I just had to express myself. If you wanna see my Delena videos, go to my profile where you'll find a link to my YouTube account. Hope you like it!**

Elena laid in Damon's bed, her face solemn, emotionless as she stared into empty space. Her eyes were empty and tired, her body curled into a ball with her hands gently crossed over her chest.

She watched the snow falling outside through the closed window, thousands of tiny snowflakes dancing in the air as they slowly hit the ground. Elena sniffled, hot tears pouring from her sleepless eyes; tears she didn't even bother to wipe away.

She heard the door opening, the sound of someone's heartbeat echoing in her ears. She didn't look behind to see who it was or even cried out the usual: "Leave me alone" she used whenever someone came to check up on her. She remained calm and stoic, and quiet, lost in her own thoughts, too busy with her own problems to bother with a nosy intruder.

And just like it opened, the door closed.

_Probably Caroline or Bonnie,_ Elena thought to herself. She's been that way for days, ever since Damon sent her away with the excuse of setting her free. She begged him not, to just leave her be the way she was, but he didn't listen.

"This is what I want. This is what would make me happy", he told her. She tried to fight him, but the more the words sank in, the truer they became.

_If it would make him happy, then I'm okay with it,_ she concluded and soon she left back to Mystic Falls with Bonnie. The ride home was silent, nothing special, but not boring either.

When she came home, however, Elena finally broke. She locked herself into Damon's room and fell to her knees, crying and sobbing as the realization suddenly hit her. Damon told her to leave. He sent her away, set her free from their gentle kisses and warm hugs.

Elena gave herself over to the rage as she started throwing and smashing things she could get her hands on. Damon wasn't here. She was all alone. She looked over at Damon's bed, the memory of their first night together instantly hitting her.

That would never happen again. He's left her for good.

Her vision darkened for a moment, before she threw herself at the bed and began to rip the silk, fine bedclothes into pieces.

_Why, Damon? Why?_ she screamed inside her head as the sound of fabric being ripped echoed through the room. Ever since they've met, he was into her, countless of times he told her he loved her, once even erased her memory of it. And now that she's finally confessed about loving him back he left her as if it was nothing, as if her feelings for him weren't real.

And now, a few days after her tantrum she laid still on his bed, in the midst of destruction she herself had caused. Damon's room looked like it survived a tornado; clothes, both his and Elena's, laid around, most of them ripped into tiny pieces, furniture broken, shelves pulled out, their contents sprawled all over the room.

Elena had no more energy to scream and throw things around – and also, there was nothing in the room, save for the bed, left for her to break – and remained motionless on the bed, the only place she felt safe, the place that reminded her so much of him.

With a slow movement she grabbed a piece of sheet that laid on the floor. For a moment she just stared at it, a longing, regretful look in her eyes, before burying her head in it. She inhaled his scent, enjoying the sensation it caused to her still new and wild senses. For a moment it felt as if he was still here.

Elena let the fabric fall out of her weak hand and took a pillow, hugging it and once again inhaling Damon's sweet, tender scent. God, she missed him! She wished she could see him only for a second to tell her she loves him, just in case, to let him know so he doesn't forget.

She could understand how the sire bond could be a problem for him, though she saw nothing wrong with it. When two people love each other as much as they do, such things shouldn't present an obstacle, right?

At least Elena thought they shouldn't.

The hours have passed and Elena hadn't moved from the spot she was on. Still hugging her pillow, she looked over at her phone, full of voicemails and text messages her friends had sent her, worried about her condition. She went through each and every one of them, before deleting them into obliviousness. Most of them have been sent by Matt and Caroline, and Bonnie's were close behind.

Not a single one was from Stefan.

He had been ignoring her for days, not even sending her a comforting text, which is something old Stefan would do right away. She wasn't sure what could have caused this kind of behavior, though she did have an idea.

Caroline was known for having a big mouth and Elena and Damon were too big news for the blonde to just keep it to herself. Plus, Caroline had been acting weird around her, as if she was trying to hide something.

She was never good at lying and Elena knew her too well to know when the blondie wasn't being honest.

Elena didn't mind Stefan knowing, though. She _was_ planning on telling him herself when the time was right. It looked like Caroline beat her to it.

Even though she was now a vampire and her emotions were heightened, Elena wasn't mad at her friend for blabbing her secret. No, she wasn't mad at anyone at the moment.

Only at herself. If she had been more stubborn, maybe she could have convinced Damon to let her stay. She too wanted to help Jeremy and frankly, leaving Damon alone with her hunter-mode brother worried her. Who knew what Jeremy could do to her boyfriend? He could hurt him, cause him unimaginable pain, even kill him, and Elena wasn't there.

She wasn't there to hug him one last time, tell him she loved him more than anything, convince him to ignore the whole sire bond thing and feel free to love her back. He was going to die alone. The more she thought of it, the more anxious she was becoming. _This is crazy!_ she told herself. There was no way Jeremy could kill Damon just like that. It was crazy to think he'd be strong enough to do it.

What was crazier was even thinking about Damon being killed. Elena knew that and mentally cursed herself. True, he wasn't with her, but he wasn't in danger. He knew how to take care of herself.

But who was going to take care of her now that he was taking care of himself and Jeremy?

Elena let out a sigh and threw the pillow across the room. So this is what Stefan was talking about when he told her that everything was heightened now. Normal Elena would never think of not being able to take care of herself, she'd never exaggerate on such trivial things.

Too bad that Elena was gone and was never coming back.

The clock on her phone marked midnight and a loud, cheering scream was heard as the fireworks shot up to the sky. It was officially Christmas and Mystic Falls, being a town famous for its crazy parties, didn't fail to notice it. Elena could hear the clapping of the crowd, the laughter and screams of joy.

As the glittering bright blue fireworks exploded above the town, Elena felt something inside of her die. That was the same blue that were _his_ eyes, beautiful and stunning, too amazing for words. Is he were in town, he would have surely taken her to the party. They would laugh, have an amazing time, he'd tell her hilarious jokes and she'd kiss him and pull him into a hug, vowing never to let him leave her.

But that was just a daydream, something that will never happen, no matter how much she longed for it.

Elena looked up and smiled to herself a bit. A day before she had put the mistletoe over the bed, just in case if he returned. That plant was the only thing in the room that wasn't broken and damaged, the only thing there that was in one piece.

She closed her eyes, well aware of the fact that she won't be able to sleep, but still hoping for a miracle. She hadn't slept since she returned from the lake house. Whenever she closed her eyes, Damon's image appeared before them and now wasn't an exception.

If only he were here just so she could wish him a merry Christmas, they wouldn't even have to touch – just seeing him would be enough to satisfy her craving for him, her burning desire to see him before her one more time.

There was a knock on the door and Elena rolled her eyes. Weren't her friends at the Christmas party, enjoying themselves while she was sulking all alone in the Salvatore mansion like a lovesick loser she was? Seriously, leaving the party just to bother her was the stupidest thing they could do.

"Leave me alone", she said in a quiet voice, more to herself than to whoever was at the door, too weak to make herself scream it out loud. Unless it was Caroline or – as unlikely as it was – Stefan, no one would have been able to hear her.

But that person had.

"Elena, it's me. Can I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

Elena didn't respond. She chuckled to herself, ridiculing her own craziness. There was no way it was Damon's voice. He wasn't even close to the Salvatore mansion. As if it wasn't enough that she was so helpless and restless without him, now she was starting to hear him even though he wasn't there.

The door behind her opened and slow, careful steps approached the bed she was laying on. Elena rolled her eyes, annoyed at the intruder. When will people just realize that she wanted to be alone and leave her be? She didn't want anyone to see her that way, so weak and fragile. No one was _allowed_ to see her that way, no one but Damon.

And Damon she saw when she turned to face the intruder. He stood before her, a look of shock all over his beautiful face as he stared at her, at the mess she had become without him, looking as beautiful as always, like a well wrapped Christmas gift.

Elena's face immediately lit upon seeing him. She _knew_ that her leaving wouldn't make him happy. She knew he lied just because he thought he was protecting her.

"Damon!" she shrieked with her newfound strength.

Quickly she jumped to her feet and pulled him into a tight, loving hug. He didn't hug her back, though; he took a slow step back, removing her hands from his shoulders, careful not to hurt her.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay with Jeremy?" Elena asked him, hurt that he had rejected her.

He shot her a confused look, frowning, and nod his head. "Jeremy is fine, Elena. But you're not", he said. The younger vampire looked down, her cheeks a burning red color. "Bonnie called me. She said you were a mess. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's just fine", Elena replied, playing with the edges of her hair. What was she supposed to say? _'I missed you so I trashed your room because I was so helpless and alone without you and then I spent days in a coma-like state and refused to speak to anyone until you showed up?'_ Yeah, that was going to sound alright.

Damon didn't seem to be buying it. He put his hands on her shoulders, facing her, his eyes locked on hers. "I know that you're lying, Elena. Nothing is fine." He looked around the room. "_You're_ not fine. Talk to me. Maybe I can help. Tell me what's wrong."

"Want me to tell you what's wrong? Fine! This whole thing is wrong! You forcing me to leave, me being here all alone… at first it felt right, but now... I can't do this anymore, Damon!" she spat, a furious spark in her chocolate eyes.

"Elena-" Damon started, but was immediately cut off.

"Why are you doing this to me, Damon? To us? Why? I love you so much. You keep saying it's wrong, but how can something so real be wrong?" Elena spoke, tears welling in her eyes. She gently placed a hand over his pale cheek, looking him straight in the eye. "How? Tell me. You may force me to leave, set me free, push me away, but that will never change the fact that I love you. Don't you see that?"

"It's the right thing, Elena", he simply stated. Didn't she see how hard it was for him to watch her walk away? He loved her too, more than anything in the world, but how could have he been sure if her love had been real and not a result of the sire bond between them?

"The right thing? It will never be the right thing!" Elena shouted through tears, her eyes red and puffy. "I missed you so much, Damon. You set me free and I missed you. Doesn't that tell you something? Are you saying none of it was real? Do you think I'm lying to myself?"

"I don't know what to think, Elena!" Damon snapped, making Elena flinch. "I'm the selfish one, always doing wrong things, stealing my brother's girl. For once I want to make things right!"

"You never stole me", Elena told him, gently stroking his cheek. "I was always yours. And now you're pushing me away. How can _that_ be right?"

And with that she broke down, lost in her tears, losing her balance. Damon quickly caught her before she could hit the floor and sat her down on the bed.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm here, it's okay. Just calm down", he whispered.

Elena took a deep breath and waited a few moments to calm down, before she continued: "I needed you, Damon. Where were you?" She looked at the mess around her; the mess that she, desperate for him to love her again, had caused out of helplessness. "All of this… I didn't… I couldn't control myself. I ignored my friends, broke your stuff, destroyed your room… and there was no one to stop me. Why weren't you here, Damon?"

"Shh, I'm here now", he said, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his calming heartbeat, enjoying the warmth of his body so close to hers.

Maybe she was right; maybe the sire bond really didn't affect her feelings. She could have been in love with him without some stupid bond forcing her to be.

That or she was losing her mind due to said stupid bond.

Then it came to him. He was her sire master. She was supposed to obey him, do everything he had ordered her to do. What if he ordered her to speak?

"Elena, look at me", he told her. She did as he was told, staring into his deep, glittering sky-blue eyes, completely lost in them. "Is what you're feeling real? Do you love me?"

She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I love you."

"Did you love me before you turned?"

"Yes, I did. I've loved you for a while now."

He took her hand, dread overwhelming him as he thought of what he had done to her by pushing her away. It was true then. He wasn't completely sure of it, but something inside his heart was telling him it was true. Elena loved him. She really loved him. She wasn't forced into it. The sire bond wasn't making her think she loved him.

Her feelings were genuine.

But just to be sure, he asked one more question.

"Is what you're telling me the truth?"

"It is", she confirmed. "I loved you. How many times do you want me to say that?"

"I'm sorry, Elena. I just wanted to be sure", he said, pulling her into another hug. " I love you too. I'm so sorry for everything."

"It's okay. You're here now", she spoke gently against his chest.

"I'm here. And I'll never leave you again. We'll find a way out of this. I know we will."

"I believe you", Elena stated.

A few quiet minutes have passed, Damon wandering around his messed up thoughts and Elena enjoying having him with her. He was ready to travel the world in search for the witch with required knowledge to break their sire bond; anything that would get them out of that mess and let them finally be happy in each other's arms. There had to be something to destroy that damned bond and he was going to find it, no matter the cost.

He looked up, satisfied with himself that the woman he had always loved was at his side, that her feelings were real. That's when something caught his attention.

"Is that mistletoe?" he asked in a confused tone.

Elena chuckled. "Yes, it is. I thought, if I hung it you'd come. Stupid, I know."

"No, it's not stupid", he said. "I am here. Looks like your wish came true."

She smiled at him; a first genuine smile in a long while. "Yeah. Looks like it did."

"Let's not let that mistletoe go to waste", Damon said and with that their lips locked into a passionate, burning kiss, strong and loving, their bodies hot against one another.

"Stay with me. Just for tonight", Elena pleaded through the kisses, taking a small breath before giving back in to temptation.

"Not just tonight. I will always be with you. I promise I will never leave you again. Want to come with me to the lake house tomorrow?"

"Of course!" she laughed.

"Merry Christmas, Elena", he said, looking her in the eye.

"Merry Christmas, Damon", was her response, as she leaned in to plant a small kiss onto his tender lips.

**The end. I know, it was short and not really that great, but oh well. English isn't my first language, so I apologize for possible grammar mistakes. Of course, you're free to correct me if you spot a mistake. I won't mind.**

**Cheers :)**


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